Hands-free utility belt

ABSTRACT

A utility belt is disclosed. The utility belt comprises a belt track, a ball bearing assembly, and an extender assembly. The belt track includes a first belt section having a first male locking mechanism and a first female locking mechanism, and a second belt section having a second male locking mechanism and a second female locking mechanism. The first male locking mechanism connects to the second female locking mechanism. The second male locking mechanism connects to the first female locking mechanism. The first belt section and the second belt section each comprises an outer sheath and an inner tube. The inner tube includes a plurality of C-shaped rings. The ball bearing assembly has a ball bearing and a joint. The ball bearing rotates about the belt track. An extender assembly is coupled to the belt track and includes at least one connector and at least one spacer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/266,504, filed on Feb. 4, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S.Continuation patent application Ser. No. 15/808,744, filed Nov. 9, 2017,now U.S. Pat. No. 10,231,500, issued Mar. 19, 2019, which claims thebenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/414,495, filed Jan. 24,2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,839,248, issued Dec. 12, 2017), thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally concerns utility belts. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a hands-free utilitybelt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Utility belts and leashes may be used to connect a user to somethingelse, which could be stationary (e.g., a wall or floor, such as forsafety during a construction project or extreme sports), ornon-stationary (e.g., another person during extreme sports or athletictraining, or a pet or child for safety and control). However, existingutility belts and leashes are bulky and severely limit the user's rangeof motion. Many such belts or leashes are one-dimensional and lackfunctionality and efficiency, which results in frustration andinconvenience, wasted time, decreased safety and control. Examples ofleash systems include fabric leashes attached to belts using clipsystems. Although “hands-free”, these designs do not offer 360-degreerotation of the leash around the user's waist. As such, the user's rangeof motion continues to be limited. Moreover, when used to walk a dogwhile the user walks or runs, these designs may be dangerous if the dogsuddenly stops or moves from one side of the user to the other. If morethan one dog leash is attached to the belt, the leashes can becometangled. Because the leash does not rotate around the belt, any suchmovement may pull the user off-balance and cause the user to trip, fall,or be moved into the path of traffic or other dangerous situation.

Previous attempts to improve such systems include the inventiondisclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2015/0013619, entitled “Pet Leash BeltDevice”, by Robert J. Kahana, Jr., which discloses a fabric belt worn bypet owners and features a sliding ring mechanism on which the wearersecures a standard pet leash. Although this design improvesfunctionality by allowing increased range of motion, it lackscustomization, durability and strength, and versatility for use inapplications other than as a pet leash.

The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identifiedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated asthe same becomes better understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary utility belt system;

FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of an outer sheath of the utilitybelt system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of an inner C-ring tube of theutility belt system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 2C illustrates a partial side view of a male locking mechanism ofthe inner C-ring tube of FIG. 2B;

FIG. 2D illustrates a partial perspective view of a female lockingmechanism of the inner C-ring tube of FIG. 2B;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an assembled and locked utilitybelt system of FIG. 2B;

FIG. 4A illustrates an exploded side view of a ball bearing and joint ofthe utility belt system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4B illustrates a side view of a fully assembled ball bearing andjoint of the utility belt system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the assembled utility beltsystem of FIG. 1 including the assembled ball bearing and joint of FIG.4B;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a first extender assembly;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a second extender assembly;

FIG. 8A illustrates a perspective view of a first alternative lockingmechanism in an unlocked position;

FIG. 8B illustrates a front view of the alternative locking mechanism ofFIG. 8A in a locked position;

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of a second alternative lockingmechanism in a locked position;

FIG. 10A illustrates a perspective view of a leash coupled to theassembled ball bearing and joint of FIG. 4B in a locked position;

FIG. 10B illustrates a perspective view of a leash coupled to theassembled ball bearing and joint of FIG. 4B in an unlocked position; and

FIG. 10C illustrates a partial perspective view of a ball bearingfastener of the leash assembly of FIG. 10A coupled to the assembled ballbearing and joint of FIG. 4B.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a utility beltcomprises a belt track including a first belt section coupled to asecond belt section by a locking mechanism. The utility belt furthercomprises a ball bearing assembly having a ball bearing and a joint. Theball bearing rotates about the belt track.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a utility beltcomprises a belt track and a ball bearing assembly. The belt trackincludes a first belt section having a first male locking mechanism anda first female locking mechanism. The belt track further includes asecond belt section coupled to the first belt section having a secondmale locking mechanism and a second female locking mechanism. The firstmale locking mechanism connects to the second female locking mechanism.The second male locking mechanism connects to the first female lockingmechanism. The ball bearing assembly has a ball bearing and a joint. Theball bearing rotates about the belt track.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a utilitybelt comprises a belt track, a ball bearing assembly, and an extenderassembly. The belt track includes a first belt section having a firstmale locking mechanism and a first female locking mechanism. The belttrack further includes a second belt section having a second malelocking mechanism and a second female locking mechanism. The first andsecond male locking mechanisms each includes a top lock button and abottom lock button. The first and second female locking mechanisms eachincludes a plurality of top apertures and a plurality of bottomapertures. The first male locking mechanism connects to the secondfemale locking mechanism when the top lock button of the first malelocking mechanism protrudes through one of the plurality of topapertures of the second female locking mechanism, and the bottom lockbutton of the first male locking mechanism protrudes through one of theplurality of bottom apertures of the second female locking mechanism.The second male locking mechanism connects to the first female lockingmechanism when the top lock button of the second male locking mechanismprotrudes through one of the plurality of top apertures of the firstfemale locking mechanism, and the bottom lock button of the second malelocking mechanism protrudes through one of the plurality of bottomapertures of the first female locking mechanism. The first belt sectionand the second belt section each comprises an outer sheath and an innertube. The inner tube including a plurality of C-shaped rings. The ballbearing assembly has a ball bearing and a joint. The ball bearingrotates about the belt track. An extender assembly is coupled to thebelt track and includes at least one connector and at least one spacer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings and in operation, the present inventionovercomes at least some of the disadvantages of known utility belts.Persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the followingdescription of the presently invention is illustrative only and not inany way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readilysuggest themselves to such skilled persons.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , an exploded view of an exemplary utility beltsystem is shown. A utility belt system 100 includes a first belt section102 and a second belt section 104. Although the exemplary utility beltsystem 100 includes two sections, it is contemplated that any number ofsections could be used to achieve the desired amount of flexibility andcomfort of utility belt system 100. Utility belt system 100 mayadditionally include a ball bearing and joint 106. Optionally, anextender assembly comprised of connectors 108 and spacers 110 may beused (see also FIGS. 6-7 ).

Referring now to FIG. 2A, a perspective view of an outer sheath of theutility belt system of FIG. 1 is shown. First belt section 102 of FIG. 1corresponds to an outer sheath 202, and second belt section 104 of FIG.1 corresponds to an outer sheath 204. Outer sheaths 202, 204 eachinclude a rigid, flat backbone 206 connected to a flexible C-shapedtrack 208. Outer sheaths 202, 204 may be comprised of any sturdy yetflexible material, including, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) orother synthetic plastic polymers. Outer sheaths 202, 204 each furtherinclude a plurality of sheath apertures, one of which is labeled 210. Inthe exemplary embodiment, each outer sheath 202, 204 includes foursheath apertures 210, but it is contemplated that any number of sheathapertures 210 may be included on each outer sheath 202, 204. In someembodiments, outer sheaths 202, 204 may be covered in an additionalsleeve (not shown) comprised of another material, including by way ofexample and not limitation, nylon to provide enhanced comfort for theuser.

Referring now to FIG. 2B, a perspective view of inner C-ring tubes ofthe utility belt system 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. First belt section 102of FIG. 1 corresponds to an inner C-ring tube 212, and second beltsection 104 of FIG. 1 corresponds to an inner C-ring tube 214. InnerC-ring tubes 212, 214 each include a plurality of flexible C-shapedrings, one of which is labeled 216. Flexible C-shaped rings 216 may becomprised of any rigid material, for example aluminum or stainlesssteel. The space between the C-shaped rings 216 may be filled with adurable and flexible material, such as but not limited to NinjaFlex® byNinjaTek®, which flexible material acts as a cartilage-like material tosupport the C-shaped rings 216 while providing maximum flexibility. Thefiller material may be added by injection molding or a similartechnique. Each of inner C-ring tubes 212, 214 further includes a malelocking mechanism 218 and a female locking mechanism 220.

Referring now to FIG. 2C, a partial side view of a male lockingmechanism of the inner C-ring tubes 212, 214 of FIG. 2B is shown. Malelocking mechanism 218 includes a protruding top lock button 222 and aprotruding bottom lock button 224. Male locking mechanism 218 isconnected to an inner C-ring tube 212, 214 by way of a male connector226. Male locking mechanism 218 further includes a circular cut-out 228.

Referring now to FIG. 2D, a partial perspective view of a female lockingmechanism of the inner C-ring tubes 212, 214 of FIG. 2B is shown. Femalelocking mechanism 220 includes a plurality of top apertures 232 and aplurality of bottom apertures 234. In the exemplary embodiment, two topapertures 232 and two bottom apertures 234 are shown, although it iscontemplated that female locking mechanism 220 may include any number oftop apertures 232 and any number of bottom apertures 234. Female lockingmechanism 220 is connected to an inner C-ring tube 212, 214 by way of afemale connector 236.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a perspective view of an assembled and lockedutility belt system of FIG. 2B is shown. Outer sheaths 202, 204 coverinner C-ring tubes 212, 214 and female locking mechanisms 220, such thatsheath apertures 210 align with top apertures 232 and bottom apertures234. When male locking mechanism 218 is inserted into female lockingmechanism 220, the top lock button 222 and bottom lock button 224interface with apertures 232, 234. The circular cut-out 228 (see FIG.2C) causes the male locking mechanism 218 to act as a spring. Circularcut-out 228 (see FIG. 2C) forces the upper and lower portions of malelocking mechanism 218 in an outward direction in order to retain itscircular shape, thereby forcing top lock button 222 and bottom lockbutton 224 through apertures 232, 234. This action places the utilitybelt system in a locked position. Moreover, the semicircular shape ofthe edges of inner C-ring tubes 212, 214 prevents torsional rotationwhen the belt is in a locked position.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, an exploded side view of a ball bearing andjoint 106 of the utility belt system 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. A ballbearing 400 includes a first socket 402 and a second socket 404. A rod406 connects a first ball 408 and a second ball 410. First ball 408 fitinto first socket 402, and second ball 410 fits into socket 404. Ballbearing 400 further includes a third ball 412.

A joint 414 includes a long rod 416 connected to a spherical socket 418on one end, and a ring 420 on the other end. Ring 420 can be secured toanother other object, such as a leash or a rope, via a connectingmechanism such as, by way of example and not limitation, a carabiner orother clip. Third ball 412 fits into spherical socket 418 to connectjoint 414 with ball bearing 400. Long rod 416 is encompassed byspherical sheath 422, which rotates around long rod 416 to reducefriction between the joint 414 and outer sheath 202, 204. This reductionin friction ultimately improves mobility of ball bearing and joint 106as it moves about the belt assembly 100.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, a side view of a fully assembled ball bearingand joint 106 of the utility belt system 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. Ballbearing 400 may be made of any suitable low-friction material. By way ofexample and not limitation, ball bearing 400 may be comprised ofaluminum or stainless steel. Ball bearing 400 may be a universal sizesuch that it fits any utility belt system, regardless of its size orlength.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , a perspective view of the assembled utilitybelt system 100 of FIG. 1 including the assembled ball bearing and joint106 of FIG. 4B is shown. Although FIG. 5 shows only a single ballbearing and joint 106, it is contemplated that a single utility beltsystem, such as utility belt system 100 of FIG. 1 , may utilize one ormore ball bearing and joint 106. The use of two or more ball bearingsand joints 106 may be particularly useful in applications such as fordog walkers who require attachment of several leashes, constructionworkers who require the use of several tools at once, etc. Where morethan one ball bearing and joint 106 is utilized on the same utility beltsystem 100, ball bearings 400 glide next to one another within the trackof the inner C-ring tube 212, 214, and thus are not able to “jump” overone another in the track and cause tangling of lines or leashes.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , a perspective view of a first extenderassembly is shown. A first extender assembly 600 includes a spacer 602,which may be used with male connector 604 or female connector 606 toextend the length of a utility belt and/or customize a utility belt to aspecific ball bearing. Referring now to FIG. 7 , a perspective view of asecond extender assembly is shown. A second extender assembly 700includes a spacer 702, which may be used with male connector 704 orfemale connector 706 to extend the length of a utility belt and/orcustomize a utility belt to specific ball bearing. Either or both offirst extender assembly 600 and second extender assembly 700 may be usedon a utility belt (one extender assembly per set of locking mechanisms,e.g., male locking mechanism 218 and female locking mechanism 220),depending on the amount of extension required.

As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 , spacers 602 and 702 each include agroove (labeled 608 and 708, respectively), which may accept the maleconnectors (604, 704) or the male locking mechanism (218, FIG. 2C), orwhich may accept the female connectors (606, 706) or the female lockingmechanism (220, FIG. 2D).

It is envisioned that the use of extender assembly 600 or 700 would beoptional because the utility belt assembly of the present invention maybe offered in various sizes, similar to standard clothing belt sizes,for different size users. However, extender assembly 600 or 700 may beuseful for extending a belt for a larger user and may be removed so thatthe belt may fit a smaller user, or it may be used to size a belt up ordown if the user gains or loses weight, for example.

Referring now to FIG. 8A, a perspective view of a first alternativelocking mechanism is shown in an unlocked position. Outer sheaths 202,204 house inner C-ring tubes 212, 214 (not shown), one of which includesa male locking mechanism 802. Male locking mechanism 802 includeslocking tabs 804 and a circular cut-out 806. Referring now to FIG. 8B, afront view of the alternative locking mechanism of FIG. 8A is shown in alocked position. Male locking mechanism 802 fits inside female lockingmechanism 808, which includes apertures 810. Locking tabs 804 interfacewith apertures 810. The circular cut-out 806 causes male lockingmechanism 802 to act as a spring. Circular cut-out 806 forces the upperand lower portions of male locking mechanism 802 in an outward directionin order to retain its circular shape, thereby locking tabs 804 throughapertures 810 and securing male locking mechanism 802 to female lockingmechanism 808.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , a front view of a second alternative lockingmechanism is shown in a locked position. A male locking mechanism 902having prongs 904 connects to a female locking mechanism 906 having aT-shaped apertures 908. Prongs 904 interface with the arms of T-shapedaperture 908 to secure male locking mechanism 902 to female lockingmechanism 906.

Referring now to FIG. 10A, a perspective view of a leash coupled to theassembled ball bearing and joint of FIG. 4B is shown in a lockedposition. A leash assembly 1000 includes an upper leash portion 1002 anda lower leash portion 1004 connected by a leash locking mechanism 1006.Upper leash portion 1002 includes a handle 1008 and a leash fastener1010. Handle 1008 allows more precise manual control of the leash by theuser. Leash fastener 1010 may connect the leash to another object (e.g.,a dog collar). Lower leash portion 1004 includes a ball bearing fastener1012 that connects the leash 1000 to assembled ball bearing and joint106 of FIG. 4B.

Referring now to FIG. 10B, a perspective view of a leash coupled to theassembled ball bearing and joint of FIG. 4B is shown in an unlockedposition. Leash locking mechanism 1006 includes a male locking mechanism1014 and a female locking mechanism 1016.

Referring now to FIG. 10C, a partial perspective view of a ball bearingfastener of the leash assembly of FIG. 10A coupled to the assembled ballbearing and joint of FIG. 4B is shown. Lower leash portion 1004 includesball bearing fastener 1012. Ball bearing fastener 1012 is coupled toring 420 of ball bearing assembly 106 of FIG. 4B. Ball bearing fastener1012 may be comprised of any suitable low-friction material, such as ametal. Once ball bearing 106 is coupled to belt assembly 100 (notshown), the leash assembly 1000 allows a user to be tethered to anotherobject (e.g., a dog with a dog collar) hands-free.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the abovedescription provides a hands-free utility belt that confers manyadvantages over known utility belts. For example, the utility belt ofthe present invention includes an innovative track and ball bearingdesign, which gives provides the user with a 360-degree range of motion.This increased flexibility of movement will result in increased usersatisfaction and safer performance of hands-free activities.

It will also be apparent that the utility belt of the present inventionhas virtually limitless applications since any object may be connectedto the user wearing the belt via the ring of the ball bearing joint. Byway of example and not limitation, the utility belt as disclosed hereinmay have applications in the following fields: pet leashes, child safetyharnesses and restraints, extreme sports such as hiking and rockclimbing, athletic and recreational equipment, construction equipment,and others.

The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention will become apparent to those of skill inthe art upon review of this disclosure. While the present invention hasbeen described in connection with a variety of embodiments, thesedescriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to theparticular forms set forth herein. To the contrary, the presentdescriptions are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, andequivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claim and otherwise appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A utility belt comprising: a belt track includinga first belt section coupled to a second belt section by a lockingmechanism, each of the first and second belt sections including aplurality of C-shaped rings; and a ball bearing assembly positionedwithin the plurality of C-shaped rings and rotatable about the belttrack, the ball bearing assembly including: a first socket and a secondsocket positioned within the belt track; a rod including a first rod endcoupled to the first and second sockets and a second rod end extendingoutwardly from the belt track; and a ring coupled to the second rod endto facilitate coupling a leash or rope to the utility belt.
 2. Theutility belt of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: afirst male locking mechanism and a first female locking mechanism of thefirst belt section; and a second male locking mechanism and a secondfemale locking mechanism of the second belt section.
 3. The utility beltof claim 2, wherein the first and second male locking mechanisms eachincludes a top lock button and a bottom lock button.
 4. The utility beltof claim 3, wherein the first and second female locking mechanism eachincludes a plurality of top apertures and a plurality of bottomapertures.
 5. The utility belt of claim 4, wherein the first malelocking mechanism connects to the second female locking mechanism whenthe top lock button of the first male locking mechanism protrudesthrough one of the plurality of top apertures of the second femalelocking mechanism, and the bottom lock button of the first male lockingmechanism protrudes through one of the plurality of bottom apertures ofthe second female locking mechanism.
 6. The utility belt of claim 4,wherein the second male locking mechanism connects to the first femalelocking mechanism when the top lock button of the second male lockingmechanism protrudes through one of the plurality of top apertures of thefirst female locking mechanism, and the bottom lock button of the secondmale locking mechanism protrudes through one of the plurality of bottomapertures of the first female locking mechanism.
 7. The utility belt ofclaim 1, wherein the first belt section and the second belt section eachcomprises an outer sheath and an inner tube.
 8. The utility belt ofclaim 7, wherein the inner tube comprises the plurality of C-shapedrings.
 9. The utility belt of claim 1, further comprising an extenderassembly coupled to the belt track.
 10. The utility belt of claim 9,wherein the extender assembly comprises at least one connector and atleast one spacer.